Improvement in steam and vacuum pumps



2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

H. S.A MAXIM..` Steam and Vacuum Pumps.

Patented May 26.18714.

UNITED S'rafrns HIRAM S. MAXIM, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM AND VACUUM PUMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,235, dated May 26,1874; application filed April 7, 1874.

` To all whom 'it may concern:

other places where a supply of water is re-l quired at a moderateexpense.

I employ a boiler to generate steam and heat the same by a flame. Thesteam passes into a vessel in'which is the water to be raised. )When thepressure has accumulated sufliciently the steam forces the water up thedischarge-pipe past a check-valve. When the water has been dischargedfrom the vessel, so that its weight is lessened, a spring lifts thevessel, and in so doing closes a valve and shuts oi' the combustibleiiuid and extinguishes the ame, except a small relightingjet that isalways burning. The generation of .steam being checked, the apparatuscools, and,

as the pressure decreases, a jet of water is thrown into the boiler by aspring piston or l diaphragm to refill the same and cool it, to

prevent the water boiling in the vacuum created by the condensation ofthe steam in the vessel. As the vacuum is formed, which is also aided byjets of water, the vessel rclls from the suction-pipe by the exhaustion,and in so doing the weight thereof is increased, and when it becomessufficient to overcome the sustaining device it falls sufficiently toopen the valve to the fluid hydrocarbon and lcause the llame under theboiler to again become active and generate the steam that, passing intothe vessel, expels and elevates'the water as before.

In the drawing, Figure l is a vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 2is a sectional invertedplan of the boiler at the line x, and Fig. 3 is aplan below the line y y.

The suction'or inlet pipe a, valve b, discharge or elevating pipe c, andcheck-valve d are of ordinary character. They are stationary, andpreferably attached to a suitable back plate or board, B, (see Fig. 3,)carrying the entire apparatus. The flexible tubo c connects to the pipeb at the lower end ofthe vessel A. This vessel A is preferably made of aglass cylinder, 2, retained between metal heads 3, and at the top andbottom are the central guides 4 and 5, within the brackets or arms e e',that extend outwardly from the vcrtical back plate or board B, carryingthe machine, so that the vessel A, and parts connected to it, can slideup and down a small distance, sufficient to operate the valve of theburner, as hereafter detailed. The hollow arm f extends from the centerof the head I3'to thc top of the boiler g. This boiler is by preferencemade with descending water-tubes g, closed at their bottom ends, so thatthe llame from the burner h may circulate freely among such pendenttubes 5 and around the boiler' g is an inclosing-case, 7b', that, bypreference, is made double, to prevent the radiation of heat. The burner7L is at the upper end of the pipe l, and is preferably constructed as aBunsen burner, the gas issuing from the jet l0, and the air passing inthrough the openings ll. The gas is supplied by the pipe l', and m is avalve that opens or closes the supply. The pipe i, with a small burnerat its upper end, burns constantly, and becomes a relighter to the mainburner after being extinguished. The valve or screw l5 regulates thesize of this relighting-burner. The valve m is conlnected to one end ofthe lever m', that has its` fulcrum 16 on the bracket e', (see Fig. 3,)andl at the other end of this lever on is a slide, n, passing freely upbehind the stationary mag nets o of, and connected to the spring r, thatis adjustable by the slotted link-connection 18 to the back plate B.Upon this slide n is an armature, n, between the permanent magnets o and0. A link or small slide, 20, (see Fig. 3,) connects the lever m withthe lowerpart of the vessel A, so that the weight of the vcssel A andparts connected is sustained by that lever m', spring r, and magnet o.The strength of said spring r is so regulated in connection with themagnet and the weight of the vesselA and attached parts lthat when thewater is drawn into `the vessel A, :and has nearly filled the same, theweight will be sufficient to overcome the spring r and the attractivepower of the armature and magnet;

2 Mareas Vunt-il the pressure of steam generated by the boiler issuflicient to eject the contents of the vessel A, and force it past thecheck-valve d, and up the deli\iery.pipe c, against the pressure of thehead. As the vessel A lessens in weight it cannot be raised byV thespring r until the contents are so far expelled that the sprin g issufficient to both lift the said Vessel by the lever mf, and also todetach the armature a', so that the moment the armature is drawn fromthe magnet 0, the spring' raises the vessel A and parts, and thearmature is held by the magnet o', as before, and the burner h isextinguished by closing the valve m.

This construction effectually prevents the parts remaining at a neutralpoint, and insures a complete movement in either direction. A sp1-ing-toggle or equivalent device might be employed to insure the movementaforesaid, but I prefer the device shown.

In order to condense the steam in the vessel A, and also to supply freshwater to the boiler g, I make use of the device next described.

The vessel t hangs below the guide-tube 5 at the bottom ofthe vessel A,and in this vessel t is a sliding spring-piston. or else a diaphragm. Ihave shown the latter. rI`his diaphragm t is free to play up or down,the downward movement being resisted by a spring, or, preferably, twosprings, 011e of greater' strength and less range of motion than theother, and from the vessel t the tubeaextends up through the vessel A,and, by preference, is made as a coil, a', and provided with acheck-valve, 2l, and inlet-valve and bib 25, and the tube 2o' extendsalong through the tube f to the boiler. As the steam-pressure in Aincreases, the water therein will be forced through 25 into the vesselt, and the diaphragm will yield. The springs being compressed as thepressure increases will increase the volume of water in t, and thatwater will be the coldest and not intluenced by the heat of theapparatus. After the steam-pressure has expelled the water, and theflame of the burner been extinguished by the movement of the lever m asthe vessel A is raised, as aforesaid, then the pressure in A veryspeedily lessens, and the springs below the diaphragm t', or pi ston,will move the same, throwing the cold water up into the coil u', andthat promotes condensation. The water passes on by the pipe 26 intotheboiler, cools the same, fills theboiler, prevents ebull ition incacao, overflows the boiler, and falls in the vessel A, condensing thesteam and producing a sutlieient vacuum to draw up the water by the pipea, which water, being cold, completes the condensation and vacuumaction, which draws the water into the vessel A until its weight causesit to descend and open the valve to the burner, and the operations arerepeated. The collar fv, that is movable on the spindle o', can beclamped at any desired place, and regulates the injecting movement ofthe diaphragm or piston, so as to force more or less water into theboiler, and supply that which is necessary for condensing the steam.Holes at 27 in the pipe u wills promote condensation; but ordinarily thecoil u will be sufficient, and the water therein will be somewhat warmedbefore reaching the boiler.

I claim as my inventionl. In a water-elevating apparatus, the combination of a burner, a boiler or steam-generator, an alternate pressureand exhaustion vessel for receiving and ejecting the water, and a valveto regulate the liow of combustible material to the burner, opened orclosed by the increase or decrease of weight of the water-vessel,substantially as set forth.

2. In a water-elevating apparatus, a vessel to contain water forcondensing steam in thc water-vessel, combined with a delivery-tube, apiston or diaphragm, and a resisting-spring, substantially as set forth,whereby the capacity of that vessel is increased as the steampressureincreases, and the water is ejected as the pressure lessens,substantially as set forth.

The water-vessel connected to the induction and educt-ion pipes by aflexible tube, and supported in guides that allow a vertical movement,in combination with the lever mf, valve m, burner h., spring i", andmagnets o o, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a water-elevating apparatus, a steamgenerator and a main burnerthat is periodically extinguished, in combination with a small jetcontinuously burning for relightin g the main burner, substantially asset forth..

5. A waterelevating apparatus contain- .ing an alternate pressure andexhaustion vessel and a steam-generator, in combination with awater-vessel containing a diaphragm or piston and a resisting-sprin g,and a tube leading to the generator to discharge water into thegenerator, for the purposes set forth.

Signed by me this 3d day of April, A. D. 1874.

lllRAlll S. MAXIM. lVitncsses f Gno. T. PrNcKNEv, Guus. H. SMITH.

